Tag: school

So, it’s almost been a MONTH since I’ve made a post (bad on my part). But the truth is, this blog has kind of just been a hobby of mine and, with school starting up again, I’ve not really been making this a priority. That being said, today, I was writing notes and I looked at my binder clip that I use to split my notes into pages (sort of like a book mark, but putting sections together, rather than marking one page), and it was ugly. A little light bulb kind of went off in my head and after making a few clips of my own, I was compelled to share the idea with you!

Now, I am all about buying school supplies. I probably have enough supplies to provide a small middle school (heh)! But, more than that, I love buying cheap school supplies. And cheap means, a lot of my stuff is the basic bare minimum. I’m a simple girl; you know that. The unfortunate factor is that cheap can also mean poorly aesthetic, and not very pleasing to the eye.

I do tend to splurge on cute little notebooks and post its, etc. But when it comes down to what I use for class, I usually just go with the cheapest: plain white binders, with regular college ruled paper, and other basic materials. I do this because (1) if I buy a pattern notebook or binder, I will like the pattern for a couple of weeks…and by the end of the semester I’m just kind of done with it, (2) decorated material tends to cost more, and why am I paying someone else to decorate MY materials, when I could decorate it myself the way I want for less?, and (3) I like my materials to be unique; if I can buy it at the store, so can a hundred other students in the area.

So, after all that, I come to you with an easy DIY to make your own patterned binder clips because they ain’t cheap. I mean, seriously, decorated binder clips are usually like $5 for a pack of four. And you may not even like all the patterns! Also, I haven’t really seen this DIY anywhere…which is surprising because it’s SO SIMPLE, and it uses material you already have laying around. When I thought of it, I was questioning why it took so long to think of this. Once you learn the materials, you can probably already guess what we’re going to do with them!

Here goes:

Materials

washi, or fabric tape

binder clips

scissors

Step One: cut your washi/fabric tape approximately 3/4″ long. This length should cover the size of a mini-binder clip. You may just have to judge by eye for other sizes.Step Two: Stick the tape on the binder clip. I’ve found that 15mm washi tape is the PERFECT size for these mini-clips. Of course, if your washi is too small, you can use two layers. If it’s too big, you can cut it down.Step 3: Fold over the tape to cover the three sides of your binder clip. &That was IT!Viola! Now you have super cute binder clips that weren’t super expensive and fit your taste!

So yeah, it was that easy. Now you’re probably wondering why you didn’t think of it yourself.

Another cool thing about these is that you are never really “stuck” with one pattern. If you decide tomorrow that you don’t like pink polka dots anymore, you can simply peel off the tape and reapply a different pattern. Then you can continue to reuse clips and have virtually an infinite number of cute binder clips!

Thanks for reading,

Yin

Well, that’s all. I hope to hear from you, and hope to be back soon (depending on how vigorous this semester is)! Let me know what you all think about this DIY, and feel free to share pictures of your own clips you’ve made!

So, it seems really odd to get this text from your mom when it’s nearly midnight. But by this point, I’m used to it.

Let’s back up for a second.

If you know my mom, you know she’s one of those “life-long learners.” I already did a speech about that, and how it’s something that I will always cherish, so I’m not going to go over that again. Instead of talking about how much she inspires me, I want to take a moment to talk about how proud I am.

Now, it’s extremely weird going to college with my mom. Of course, she’s back home at a different school, but it’s funny helping my mom edit a paper. I genuinely enjoy it, to be honest.

At this point, I have no idea what she’s pursuing at this point. A nurse? I’m thinking? I don’t even know. But that’s not because I don’t care. It’s because I know how independent she is, and I know that she’s going to be successful with whatever she’s doing—no matter what.

Since I can remember, my mom has always been in school. I remember going to her graduation when she received her Associate’s. I remember getting a perm while she was in Cosmetology school (HORRIBLE mistake, by the way). I remember when she started taking classes on how to change the oil on the car, or putting antifreeze in a fridge. Now she’s in clinicals…

I know nothing about any of that stuff, but she does. And it’s awesome.

It’s awesome, because my mom is essentially super mom. She carries a full-time job at my parents’ restaurant, yet still finds the time to run marathons and take classes. No matter how untraditional, she’s always finding a new dream and finding a way to make it happen. And as much as that inspires me, it also makes me incredibly proud.

Although I may seem biased, I think more people should be like my mom. No matter how old you are, no matter how many times you say to yourself that you can’t do something, no matter what’s in your way, I think we should all take into account this amazing woman. She is proof that you can do anything you set your mind to, no matter the circumstances.

I am so honored to be this woman’s daughter. I am so happy that my mom can continue to set goals in life and pursue them, no matter what her circumstances are. I truly hope that she knows that.